National Catholic Welfare Conference
National Catholic Welfare Conference
Formerly the National Catholic Welfare Council. Organization inaugurated 24 September 1919, which succeeded the emergency National Catholic War Council founded in 1917. Its administrative Committee is established in five departments:
Department of Education, which safeguards the interests of Catholic education
Department of Press, Publicity, and Literature, which has charge of the news service and issues the N.C.W.C. weekly news sheet to 3 dailies and 84 weeklies
Department of Social Action, which deals with industrial relations, civic education, social welfare, and rural life
Department of Laws and Legislation, which protects Catholic interests in state and nation
Department of Lay Organization, which endeavors to organize Catholic men and women
The Executive Department supervises the work of the Welfare Conference as a whole and keeps in touch with government officials. The work undertaken and inaugurated by these various departments includes study clubs, religious vacation schools, Catholic clubs in non-Catholic colleges, week-day religious instruction for public-school children, collection of Catholic war records, retreats for the laity, organization of Catholic farm women, and publication of Catholic book lists for teacher-training institutions. Today it is carried on by committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.